Beat cancer with a different kind of berry

There’s so much research into botanicals and medicinal food-based products (or “nutraceuticals”) happening right now that sometimes, it amazes me. Because just when you think you’ve seen it all, a story like this one turns up…

The botanical in question? A compound from the Christmas berry plant — which, according to early tests, might actually be able to stop a very lethal cancer in its tracks.

Malignant melanoma reversed

The cancer I’m talking about is uveal melanoma. It originates in melanocytes, which are the cells responsible for generating the  pigment that determine the color of your skin, eyes, and hair.

And uveal melanoma the most common type of eye cancer — though an admittedly rare one, in general.

A mere five percent of melanoma cases are uveal. Still, while only some 2,000 adults receive this diagnosis annually, half of those cases spread to the liver. At which point, it becomes a death sentence.

Surgery or radiation is the first line of treatment for uveal melanoma. But once it hits the liver, not even those hideously toxic treatments work. And that’s precisely what makes this latest news so exciting.

Researchers recently investigated a compound from the leaves of the ornamental Christmas berry plant Ardisia crenata — a member of the primrose family — to see if it was effective at fighting this form of cancer. This compound is called FR900359, or FR for short.

FR blocks a certain signaling protein located on cell membranes. And when uveal cancer cells had contact with small amounts in the lab, they reverted back to their original, non-cancerous states.

Higher amounts of FR, however, killed the cells. Which means we still have to iron out the issue of dosage. But heck, that’s what this early research is for — laying the groundwork for future investigations.

A better way to beat cancer

I should note that this is test tube research, not a gold standard clinical trial. So it’s too early to get too excited about it.

But it’s still incredibly promising. Ultimately, all cancer research begins in the lab, working with tumor cell lines. If that experimentation yields good results, then researchers move on to animal testing. And if successful, research progresses to human trials.

So why am I sharing this now? Well, because I’m thrilled to see that scientists are finally beginning to look outside the box, and within nature, for cures that kill cancer — while keeping healthy cells intact.

Clearly, chemo and radiation don’t fit this description. And I still believe that one day, we’ll look back in shock at the barbarism of mainstream oncology.

But we’ll never get to that place if we don’t consider the alternatives. At the very least, many holistic, natural strategies can maximize the results of conventional treatment, and protect your body from its worst side effects.

FR may or may not turn out to be one of them. But there’s more where that came from — and I’ve included the very best in my new online learning tool, the Essential Protocol for a Cancer-Free Future.

If you’re looking for answers that go beyond the cut-poison-burn default approach to managing cancer treatment — and really, we all should be — then this protocol is for you. Click here to learn more and order your copy today.

Source:

“‘Christmas berry’ plant compound could fight Uveal melanoma.” Science Daily, 01/03/19. (sciencedaily.com/releases/2019/01/190103185429.htm)